Aman ki Asha and cricket

http://www.chowk.com/articles/aman-ki-asha-and-cricket-sarah-zahid.htm

These days Times of India and Jang group of news paper are running an interesting media campaign. Most of the Pakistanis might have noticed a colorful message with Amitabh Bachchan and kites on major news channels. “Amitabh” smiles then reads a poem, (well, at times you are unable to tell the difference

between hindi and urdu) he is speaking Hindustani for sure, because the lines reflect all the seasons of Indian subcontinent. The reference to dholak, “Tapee”, Mehndi and kites depict a certain tone of happiness. He then refers that you can divide the land but you can never divide the sky. You can never restrain the music from traveling across border.”

The lines are catchy, they are emotional and they are powerful. “Amman ki Asha”, is running on both sides of borders. Romantics like me and many others look at the kite filled sky and imagine a happy ending to a brutal story which was started 67 years back.

Will it ever happen? Will we be able to give the new generation a peaceful and happy India and Pakistan? Or will this long feud end, like the old saga of Mahabharat.

Over the last few decades there had been constant efforts by the civil society groups on both sides of the border. They have lightened lamps on the eve of independence on both sides. They have organized youth conferences and media campaign and yes they were successful in some way. From the last 67 years the major problem of India has been Pakistan and Pakistan has always quoted India as its problem. Both countries have spend a huge amount of their already deficit budgets to safe guard the borders. The key priorities like health education, and clean drinking water had been marred by the clouds of the lingering war.

More than 4 times in the last 68 years, both armies have stood against each other. And yet the issue is still not resolved. Our enmity did not stop on the borders. We brought it into our drawing rooms. The cricket match between India and Pakistan is nothing less than a war. The tension, the pressure, can be seen on the faces of the cricketers to the fire crackers that are the aftermath of the match. But during the last few years, all these ugly realities were being replaced by new economic dreams. The open trade, IPL, Pakistani singers performing in Bollywood to meager investments across the border.

But then again, the prospects of long term peace were replaced by terrorist attacks on both sides of border. The Mumbai episode, Lahore bombings, firing on control line, all contributed to the new aggravated situation. Pakistan itself is fighting terrorism. There is no difference is pain of a woman losing her son in Mumbai blast to the newly wed girl who lost her husband in Peshawar. The human aspects of pain are same. Again the involvement of governments is a question mark?

Can Pakistan afford to have any new confrontation with India, when it is already fighting in northern areas?
Does it make any strategic sense? Are people of Pakistan happy on the attacks in Mumbai?

Absolutely not…

But yes, today many Pakistanis are angry on the IPL decision for not taking any Pakistani cricketers. After years it felt that people of both nations can play as a team. IPL was another dream come true. The corporate reality might stay there, but the game allowed cricket lovers to see different cricketers from different backgrounds playing as a team.
Peace incentives are still there. “Amman ki Asha”, is not only dream of few people. But yes, where peace lovers like me are not happy today there are many who are happy to celebrate this setback.

But then, you can never stop the music crossing the borders. And love has its own language. Hindi and urdu, lose their definitions when they are spoken by people to communicate.
Hope… is always there

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